NEW YORK, Nov 4 (Reuters) TV networks are trying a new tactic to understand what shows and commercials people like to watch: read their minds. Comcast Corp’s NBCUniversal and Viacom Inc are each opening labs where they will study TV viewers in mock living rooms filled with infrared cameras tracking their biometrics – such things

DUBAI, Nov 3 (Reuters) The private sector in the two biggest Gulf Arab economies grew at the slowest pace in years in October, corporate surveys showed on Tuesday, indicating low oil prices are starting to slow business activity across the region. The seasonally adjusted Emirates NBD Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index for last month dropped

Nov 3 (Reuters) Americans are becoming less religious, judging by such markers as church attendance, prayer and belief in God, and the trend is more pronounced among young adults, according to a poll released on Tuesday. The share of U.S. adults who say they believe in God, while still high compared with other advanced industrial

BY Anna Yazijyan DUBAI (Nov 2) Forbidden love, a relentless struggle for happiness and a desire to live a “normal” life form the crux of Shonali Bose’s award-winning film Margarita With a Straw. Seen by many as controversial, the movie is an emotional and inspiring story about Laila (Kalki Koechin), a girl with cerebral palsy

BY Staff Reporter ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Nov. 2) Turkey’s election results were announced late Sunday night and President Recep Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the snap elections in a landslide victory. Preliminary results projected a majority win by AKP with 49.4 percent of the vote, giving it 315 out of 550 seats in parliament.The main opposition

BAKU, Nov 1 (Reuters) Azeri voters headed to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary election, which Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s ruling party is widely expected to win, and which mainstream opposition and international monitors are shunning. Aliyev has consolidated his power since succeeding his father and long-serving leader Heydar in 2003, presiding over a

MOGADISHU, Nov 1 (Reuters) Two bombs ripped into a hotel in the Somali capital on Sunday and security forces fought Islamist Al Shabaab gunmen, who stormed the building for hours afterwards, police and witnesses said. At least 11 people were killed. Al Shabaab, which has frequently launched attacks in Mogadishu in its bid to topple

Divided Turkey holds snap elections amid rising security and economic fears BY Staff Reporter ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Nov 1): Turks began casting their votes on Sunday against a backdrop of economic and security concerns. The vote comes after failure to create a coalition government following June elections. The parliamentary elections–that were suddenly called–are set to decide the fate of the

BY Staff Reporter DUBAI (Nov. 1) Emirates, along with Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, have suspended flights over Sinai as a precaution, following Saturday’s crash of a Russian plane that resulted in the death of all 224 passengers aboard. “Emirates is currently avoiding flying over the Sinai peninsula until more information is available,” said a spokesperson of the Gulf carrier

BEIRUT, Oct 31 (Reuters) A U.S.-backed Syrian rebel alliance on Saturday announced a fresh offensive against Daesh in the northeast province of Hasaka, a day after the United States said it would send special forces to advise insurgents fighting the jihadists. “Today … we announce the start of the liberation of the southern countryside of Hasaka province,”